Forgetting Sermons (And Why That's Okay)

Do you remember riding home from church as a kid on Sunday afternoon ready to gnaw on your arm because you slept until the last possible moment that morning, skipped breakfast, and now sat famished? Do you remember the regret of realizing that mom (or grand mom) still had to finish preparing lunch, and, for some reason, at that moment one of your parents decided that it was the perfect time to ask a question:
"So... what did you learn in church today?"

Uh.......... (Brain tries to compensate by re-routing energy to memory....... fail........ Time to fake it.)

"Uh... God loves us! Jesus died on the cross for our sins!" Or insert your own default, though nonetheless true and doctrinally sound, Sunday School answers.

Not a few years later, it's sad to say that I still struggle to remember the specifics of even the best of sermons. I even regularly forget the main points of some of my own messages after a few days pass. This used to bother me, but then I began to think about what biblical or spiritual learning should really be about.

We tend to think of spiritual learning with the same categories as any other type of learning, and no doubt there is significant overlap. Learning = knowledge accumulation, application, and regurgitation. We could liken this building up of knowledge to adding books to the shelf of our mind. "I've got the basic gist of the gospel down. Check. Add that book to my shelf." "I've got the basic story line of the Bible down. Check. Add another book to the shelf."

This way of thinking about biblical learning isn't necessarily bad; it's simply incomplete. The reason it is incomplete is because spiritual learning is about both growth in knowledge and formation of character, and it's impossible to separate the two here. Spiritual growth is not only like adding books to a shelf, it's also like placing a rough-edged stone into a river.

When I hear my pastor preach I want to listen intently for new knowledge, and I want to affirm the knowledge that I already recognize as true. Going even deeper though, I want to allow his convicting, challenging, and edifying words from God's Word to wash over my soul. This is why spiritual formation is so much richer than many other learning endeavors, and it's also why remembering the main points of every sermon may not only be impractical but unnecessary.

I don't believe we'll be Bible quizzing on the Day of Judgment. God's word does say however that Jesus will reward each according to what he has done (Mt. 16:27). We understand that only those works done "in God" (Jn. 3:21), while abiding in Christ (Jn. 15) and walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5) will be worthy of reward.

So as I listen to a sermon, I want to ask the Holy Spirit to smooth this rough-edge rock. I want to ask Christ to think and feel and live through me. I want to ask God to do faithful and obedient works through this weak vessel.

Therefore, if we forget the three points of Sunday's message, but were eternally changed by a holy moment in the midst of it, I do believe we can mark that up as a win!

For example, my pastor made, what seemed to me, a passing comment this past Sunday. It wasn't one of his main points, but it struck me... like a brief but powerful torrent over a particularly rough edge of my soul. He said (paraphrasing), "We forgive...Not because the other person has asked for it or even deserves it, but because Jesus forgave us when we neither asked for it nor deserved it."

To close the loop on the point of this post - six months from now, I will not be able to articulate what my pastor said this past Sunday nearly as well as I just did. But I can promise you that his statement changed me, and the heart of it will stick with me, not merely as another book to put on my shelf, but as a life-changing truth that imprinted on my soul.

In Christ,
Andy


PS: I hope that this post doesn't encourage any sort of laziness in regards to listening well to sermons. As I affirmed above, we should all be listening well. I think this involves good note taking and returning to the text and notes the following week. My point in this post is that we should not think it sufficient to simply accumulate knowledge when it is the changing of our hearts that our God is after! 

Music in New Covenant Worship

Over fifteen years ago, at the height of the worship wars in my part of the country, I began to think... to think a lot about music in the context of worship. Most of you know me well enough to know my preferences, so I hope you'll place that aside as you read this post.

It's long been my conviction that since Christ is our example, our duty and joy in meeting together with the body of Christ should be to lay aside our preferences in music for the sake of others. Much like in marriage, church should be a group of people resolutely determined to lay aside their own interests for the sake of others (Phil. 2:4). I'm so certain of this governing principle that I fear the judgment of Christ on our churches in the last Day will see much shame over the selfishness spilled out in worship wars over the past two decades in America (and beyond).

While I've held to these convictions for quite some time, I'm not sure that I could truly articulate the practical implications of my thinking until recently.

First of all, worship is not only for God, though we would all affirm that this is its primary aim.

Paul says in Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19, and 1 Cor. 14:4, 12, 26 that our worship should be for the education and edification of other believers. So the next time you’re at church proclaiming the truths of the gospel or the trinity or some other great mystery of our God, look around. Look around, and then sing. Sing not only to God but to your brothers and sisters. Proclaim the gospel in song to them. They need to hear it from the preacher, and they need to hear it from you!

Second, to expand this idea of education and edification to a global scale by means of the New Covenant is where things really get fun! I'll explain.

Why do we have worship wars? That's easy. We have worship wars (particularly in America) because we have culture wars. If I were to take you to the heart of Africa or China or South America, and we were to experience the vast array of culturally specific worship styles in these contexts, it would nevercross your mind to try and force your church's style of worship into that context. Or it shouldn't.

Why? Because at the advent of the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God burst forth into all nations in a way that had never been seen before; and as this Kingdom advanced forcefully throughout the world, God's intent was not to mold every culture's expression of worship of Him into the Jewish/Middle Eastern forms. Rather, within the constraints of Scripture's commands for orderliness and doctrinal orthodoxy, each culture has the freedom to express worship to God in beautifully unique ways.

Enter the United States... the melting pot of the world. Is it any wonder that at the meeting point of hundreds of cultures and nations we find it difficult to settle into one prescribed musical expression? We war amongst ourselves because we are each absolutely convinced of the spiritual superiority of our own form of musical worship.

It seems that there are only a few possible solutions to this genuinely difficult situation in which we’ve found ourselves. One: we wait for the tide of "modern" music to overtake a church as the older generation dies out and the newer gains control. This may be pragmatic for some, but seems to me altogether unChristlike. Two: we choose to separate ourselves into different local churches based upon cultural preferences. I'm less opposed to this solution these days for the same reason I wouldn't ask an indigenous Chinese church to embrace an African form of worship. Perhaps we are just simply too diverse in our country to expect one form of “blended” worship to appeal to the heart of every single person. Three: everyone in the church could intentionally choose to “suffer” through various forms of worship that are not appealing to them for the sake of others. Of course, when I say "suffer," I'm being intentionally silly. It should be our joy to give up our preferences for the sake of others. I honestly believe that in some contexts option 2 is best. I also believe that in other contexts option 3 is favorable. Each church must discern God’s will for their particular setting.

The point of this post was not to try and fix the problem of conflicts over worship that we experience in this country. My hope is, rather, that we properly understand these conflicts in a biblical way. I pray that we’ll stop venerating musical styles and cultural expressions. I pray that we will love each other sacrificially, and I pray, most of all, that we’ll faithfully proclaim the gospel to ourselves and others through worship, preaching, and mission.

In Christ,

Andy

Regeneration

"Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." -Eph. 5:14 (NASB)

     I really only had one request of God as I boarded an airplane for Moldova almost two weeks ago. I prayed that He would show me regeneration. This was, no doubt, a selfish request, but I asked nonetheless. Essentially I wanted to see more than decisions for Christ (as much as I wanted to see those too!). My desire was to see radical repentance and faith.
     As in previous years, it was very hard to tell in the first few days of camp if we were really making any kind of difference at all. Maybe the Lord does things this way on purpose, so that we'll know that it is not ultimately us doing the work.
     We gave an invitation on Thursday night and many stayed at the chapel after the service to talk about following Jesus. This was super encouraging! Perhaps some were coming forward because it was a cool thing to do at the moment, but anyone could tell that most of the students who made a decision had been touched by the Holy Spirit.
     I took four guys aside and asked them to describe what was going on their hearts. One said, "I know I am a sinner." Through tears another said that he was so thankful for what Jesus had done for Him! It was obvious that God was moving.
     The next morning I asked my Bible study group to give testimony to what God had done the night before. Honestly I was wanting to test things a bit and see the results after all of the emotion had died down. Student after student explained with powerful articulation how God had worked in a unique way in their heart. Then one student, making a motion with her hand, said, "It was like someone grabbed my heart and said, 'Wake up!'" 
     Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and thankful that God had been gracious enough to answer my selfish prayer. In that moment he showed us all regeneration.

Praise Him Through the Darkness

     Last year (2012) in Moldova I felt the Lord lead me to share some specifics from my personal testimony that are less then easy for me to recount. After doing this I felt foolish, questioning God’s leading and even questioning God. The next day I was a little encouraged to hear that my testimony had impacted a particular student at camp. I’ll call this student Joe. I came to find out that this student’s father had taken his own life just one week prior to camp, and what I shared apparently helped him in this time of grief. So I left Moldova still discouraged but hoping somehow that God might use the ministry I had done there in spite of my weaknesses. 

     After arriving at camp this year, I was pleased to find that Joe had been placed on my team! Joe follows Jesus, he is an older student, and he was a huge help to me throughout the week. However, on Wednesday morning I noticed that Joe was not himself. During the entire Bible study he had his head buried in his Bible, specifically the Psalms. So after our team Bible study was over, I pulled him aside and asked him what was wrong. It had been one year since his father’s death, and he was broken. Many in the camp grieved with him that day. We held our brother, and we cried together. We prayed, and we asked for comfort from the Lord. His grace was abundant, and Joe returned to his normal energetic self the next day.

     The rest of the week was amazing. We saw the Holy Spirit draw many to salvation. God moved mightily among his people. Friday night came, and with it our last worship service. All week long we had been singing a song written by Martin Smith entitled, “God’s Great Dance Floor.” It’s a party song, and we were in a party kind of mood! Everyone was dancing and clapping and singing at the top of their lungs. It was a special moment that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

     But then Linda (on the American team) cried out, “Something’s wrong with Joe!” Several of us rushed over to check on him. His eyes were open, and he was sitting up, but he could barely communicate with us. Someone said that he had a heart problem, and we began to worry. Then he passed out.

     I don’t know that I've felt the full weight of a mostly grown man who was seemingly lifeless before, but I do know that I never want to again. We laid him on the ground, and Linda checked for a pulse. Initially none was found, but we quickly realized that his heart was still beating and he was still breathing. But he was not conscious. One of the Moldovan leaders splashed some water on his face and tried to wake him. Another leader pulled his car up to the site, and six people picked Joe up and placed him in the vehicle. An ambulance had been called and would meet the car half way. Joe started regaining consciousness after being placed in the car, but as they drove off, we all worried about his condition. The whole camp was shocked. Many wept. How could this joyful night and life-changing week end in the darkness of such uncertainty?

     And then, God’s people began to pray. We prayed through tears. We asked for healing. We exclaimed our trust in the only One who holds our lives in His hands. What else could we do? Then we began to think that perhaps the Enemy may have a part in this trouble. Who are we to know if he was or wasn’t the source, but a unified thought began to enter our minds. We must return to praising God. After weeping for a moment, praying for a while, and placing our trust in our Father, we were compelled to return to the same praise that we had been offering Him less than a half hour earlier. Only this time the mood was obviously quite different. Instead of dancing with our feet, we raised our hands as a child longing to picked up. “How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God.” Instead of shouts of praise, there was, at first, a humble yet focused determination in our voices. “Blessed be Your Name, on the road marked with suffering, though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name.” We got word that the ambulance had met the car Joe was in and that he seemed to be doing better. He was awake and talking but would still be taken to the hospital for testing. “Lord I need you, every hour I need you. My one defense, my righteousness, oh God, how I need You.” At this point the Moldovan worship team came up and did a couple of songs. The mood was changing. What was moments ago an intentional yet difficult decision to praise God in spite of our circumstances gradually returned to a free and joyful expression. Even the clapping started up again. Voices became louder and louder. And though the language was Romanian, there was a heart-felt adoration that transcended human dialect.  

     Then they asked me to sing another song in English:

            You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger.

            Your name is great, and Your hear is kind.

            For all Your goodness I will keep on singing.

            Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

            Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul.

            Worship His Holy Name.

            Sing like never before, O my soul.

            I’ll worship Your Holy Name.  

One more Romanian song was sung, and we dismissed. As I walked back to my cabin, I had the overwhelming thought that perhaps I had just been a part of the most significant worship service I would ever experience this side of Heaven. Whether or not this is true or even if such a comparison is possible doesn't really matter. Heaven had touched earth in the midst of suffering. God’s Spirit had led God’s people to praise Him in the middle of a storm that could have very easily diminished the impact of a week beautifully orchestrated by God. Darkness had fallen. But the light of Christ shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it. The enemy had struck his blow, but Christ had won.

     The next morning the students and leaders loaded into buses and headed into town. Camp was over, and it was time to return home. As the buses pulled up to the church, there was Joe, standing outside waiting for everyone to arrive. The hospital could find nothing wrong with him, and so they released him. He had stayed the night at church, and now he was reunited with his spiritual family, the ones who had worried about him and the ones who had prayed diligently for him.

      I wish I could have been there to see that scene. I wish I could have hugged Joe one more time and thanked God together with him for the happy ending to this story, but I was on another bus headed toward home.  As I peered out the window that morning and looked across the rolling hills of Moldova, I realized that my faith had grown. Without even knowing it, God had carefully painted another sanctifying stroke on the canvas of my life. Our verses for the week were Ephesians 2:8-10. Verse 10 reads:“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,” and oh how masterful an artist He is!

The Mark

I've always heard that the "Mark of the Beast" described in Revelation 13 will most likely be a microchip that is placed in the forehead or hand of anyone who wants to buy or sell at the end of days. I realized a long time ago that trying to guess at what Revelation means when it describes future events (or even past events) is well beyond my pay-grade, and so for me to say that the Mark is not a chip is not my purpose here. Chip or no chip, I hope my point stands.

Over the past couple of years, I've been shown a new (new for me) way of reading the Bible. This view rejects a disjointed, piece-meal, application-centered, me-centered, handbook-for-life attitude and embraces the intentional arrangement of Scripture which shows us the plan of God for His creation and His redemption by grace, through faith, for a purpose (Eph. 2:8-10). With this perspective, Revelation can be seen as a theological retelling of the whole of Scripture. In other words, when you read something in Revelation, you've probably seen it before in the Bible. 

Revelation 13:16 says, "Also (the beast) causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."

And the most central and important passage in all of Scripture for the Jews is Deuteronomy 6:4-9: "Here, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command to you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 11:18 repeats this idea.

Could it be then that what believers are to be warned of at the end of days is not merely a physical mark - though we certainly wouldn't rule that out as part of the plan? Are we to reflect back on Dt. 6 (the Greatest Commandment, according to Jesus in Mt. 22) and recognize a particular, man-centered worldview that has or will saturate the globe? Just as Israel was to love the LORD with heart, soul, and might, could the "mark" of the Beast's system be identified through man's own fierce devotion to himself? Is man loving himself with all of his heart, soul, and might the mark that is bound on his hand and forehead?

Once again, Revelation, for the most part, feels well beyond my reach of understanding; but when I noticed these two marks in the Bible, I thought I should at least share them so that you can think and draw your own conclusions.

In Christ,
Andy

More Significant Than Yourselves

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." -Phil. 2:3

Those whose minds are set on this world incessantly pursue significance. Some seek it in religion, others in the accumulation of material possessions. Most seek it by means of belittling others (at least in their own minds), so that they can feel more significant by comparison.

As we know, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the great equalizer of all humanity. We have all sinned and are all under the judgment of a righteous Judge, apart from His grace. To compare ourselves to one another in an effort find significance is ridiculous. Apart from our Creator and Redeemer, we have none. All is dust and ashes. But - good news - with our Creator and Redeemer, absolute and eternal significance are imputed to us!

Therefore the gospel is not merely the great equalizer of humanity, it turns humanity's vain search for significance on its head. Paul says, essentially, "Now that you have significance in Christ, you are FREE to live the rest of your life considering others more significant than yourself!" Why? Because in Christ we've gone from zero to infinity with three words: "It is finished." We've gone from meaninglessness to concentrated purpose and direction with "Make disciples of all nations" and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

We are free to take our minds off ourselves and our personal pursuit of significance because He has given us all that we will ever need. We are free to count others as more significant because that is a reenactment of Messiah's cross on which He said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing."

Believer. You are free to count others more significant than yourself.

Gospel-centered Obedience: Moving Toward Spirit-led Obedience

Once we see the need to filter all of life through the right-standing and power that Christ gives us, the final two steps in this model for Gospel-centered Obedience should seem more natural. The examples I gave in the previous post should help you on your journey of exploring His boundless grace. Even though I've only been walking it a short while, I can tell you that it's a great path to be on. For the first time in my life, I truly understand what Paul means in Romans 8:1 when he says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" (ESV).


Step 4: Grace and the Spirit Transform My Heart
Step 4 in this model for Gospel-centered Obedience recognizes that remembering the gospel changes our motivation. The what and how (the actual act itself) may not change, but all of a sudden the WHY has become empowered by the Holy Spirit and the truths of Scripture. Galatians 5:18 declares that "if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." In other words, the unrighteous deeds and failure to do good things in the life of the believer do not lead to eternal consequences. This is scandalous nature of the gospel. It is not fair that my sin (as a believer) does not condemn me... but it no less true.

Does this mean that we should just keep on sinning because we now have this free pass? Well, Paul would say that if you think this way you're probably not regenerated (saved) to begin with (See Romans 3:8 and its context along with Romans 6). It is unlikely that people could have leveled such a charge against Paul if he had not been saying  at least something like what we're discussing here today... grace is scandalous and unfair... and that's what makes it grace.

For the unbeliever who thinks he has grace and continues in sin so that grace may abound more and more... he stands condemned because he doesn't understand that the gospel sets him free from both the consequences of sin AND the power sin.

But for the believer who responds to grace with a grateful heart, the upward cycle of denying the flesh and putting to death the sin in the flesh is NATURAL. Please note that I did not say it is easy. Taking up our cross and following Jesus should be the greatest form of freedom known to man. It should be a joy! But it is not always easy. The grace of God exhibited in the cross and resurrection and the Holy Spirit of God work together to transform us into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) - "the old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Because of this new creation, obeying rightly has been made possible. Not only is it possible… it is now natural… it is who we are. Rehearsing the gospel helps us remember who we were and who we now are in Christ.


Step 5: Spirit-led Obedience
In John 15:4-5, Jesus says to "Abide in me, and I in you... for apart from me you can do nothing." There is a CONTINUAL DEPENDENCY implied in this verse. We must remain in Christ in order to produce fruit. Perhaps the overarching purpose of this series of blogs is to argue that one of the best ways to abide in Christ (and in turn bear fruit) is to remember the work of Christ on our behalf. Remember it daily... even throughout the day! Apply it to every situation and circumstance. In Galatians, Paul says it like this: "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (5:16).

 Finally we come to the point of human responsibility. To abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit seem to be the primary responsibilities of the believer. All other actions are an outworking of these. Let's use the greatest commandment as our example: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27).

 In my flesh, I would never love God. Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of all the times that I did not and do not love God rightly. Jesus always loved God perfectly. Because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross, God looks at me as if I've always loved Him perfectly. Through remembering the gospel, grace and the Spirit change my heart to WANT to love God rightly. We could even be so bold as to say that the Spirit of God is always loving God perfectly in me; and because of this, the new man (the new creation) that is the new me is loving God rightly. Now I can move forward in confidence knowing that it is not ultimately my love for God that justifies me but His love for me... and this makes me want to love Him all the more.

 This is an appropriate way to end this series of posts: reflecting on the love of God. It is His love for us that fuels the gospel. His love for us compelled Him to make "Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:7-8).

 I hope that these posts have been helpful for you. These are no doubt thoughts from the fallible mind of one man. They are simply how I have come to see things. They are a small picture of how Christ, in recent days, has freed me from the law of sin and death... not just through justification (which He did almost 21 years ago - or 2000 years ago - depending on how you look at it :-) but in sanctification. I pray that none of my words have caused anyone to stumble in any way. I pray, most of all, that these thoughts compel you to dive into the Scriptures for yourself and discover the wonders of His glorious grace.

In Christ,
Andy